A golfer may be unable to achieve a desired game level due to a poor setup position or alignment before swinging the club. With proper setup and alignment, a golfer can create power and control the direction of a swing. A golfer's ability to address the ball properly, that is, to have the club impact the ball with proper position and alignment can distinguish a skilled from relatively unskilled golfer.
In order to assist a golfer in finding a proper setup position and arc stroke, golf clubs have been developed that include visual indicia of a desired contact position between the club head and the ball. Such visual indicia include markings positioned on an upper surface of the club head, for example, one or more lines perpendicular to the striking face of the club head, or one or more grooves or notches also perpendicular to the striking face of the club head. Other golf clubs have been developed that include combinations of lines on the club head and on the shaft, or combinations of lines on the club head and on the golf ball, which must be aligned to achieve a proper club position. Examples of these types of golf clubs are provided in U.S. Pat. No. 1,631,594 to Redman; U.S. Pat. No. 4,128,244 to Duclos; U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,556 to Condon; U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,851 to Lucetti; U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,625 to Jackson; U.S. Pat. No. 6,447,401 to Torkos; U.S. Pat. No. 6,551,195 to Byrne et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,722,998 to Miller; U.S. Pat. No. 6,796,911 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,048,639, both to Grace; U.S. Pat. No. 7,066,829 to Lister; and D502,233, D502,234, and D502,236, all to Grace.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,990 and D404,450, both to Weeks, illustrate a putter having alignment indicator on the upper surface of the club head that has two lines parallel to the striking face with a center marking disposed therebetween.
Golf clubs having hosels are also known and have become increasingly popular. A hosel operates as a connector between the club head and the shaft and can influence the balance, feel and power of a golf club. Some modern hosels are designed to place as little mass as possible over the top portion of a club head, especially in open top head designs, thereby lowering the center of gravity of the club. Golf clubs having hosels and various types of indicia on the club head have been described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,014,992 to McCallister; U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,919 to Johnson; U.S. Pat. No. 6,409,610 to Ahn et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,422,949 to Byrne et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,817,953 to Farmer.
Hosel designs can result in club heads to have upper surfaces that are curved, making it difficult to place alignment indicia thereon that are accurately visualized by a golfer. This disadvantage is can further be found in club designs, in which the hosel joins the club head near the toe end of the club head, reducing the available space for placement of alignment indicia.
It is desired to provide a golf club that includes a hosel and that also includes indicia adapted to assist a golfer in achieving a proper setup and alignment before addressing a ball.
It is also desired to provide a golf club that includes indicia or markings adapted to assist the golfer in finding the proper arc stroke during a golf swing.
In particular, it is desired to provide a golf club that includes a hosel and that also includes indicia adapted to assist a golfer in finding a proper position of the golf club in relation to the ground surface and to the ball to be struck.